IICA Executive Committee

Derek has worked in statutory and industry-based regulatory positions, specialising in media and communications regulation. He is now based in the Faculty of Law at the University of Technology Sydney where he is Co-Director of the interdisciplinary Centre for Media Transition.

Before joining UTS, Derek was Executive Director of the Australian Press Council. There he led the Council’s complaints-handling functions and worked closely with the Chair and Members on a review of the Council’s standards of practice as well as responses to the Independent Media Inquiry and the Convergence Review.

At the Australian Communications and Media Authority, Derek managed media ownership and content monitoring and compliance, then headed an operational policy team dedicated to complex regulatory problems spanning the legal and engineering spheres, including the transition to digital television.

He was the Director of the Communications Law Centre at UNSW and has also worked for the Office of Film and Literature Classification and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance.

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Sophie works as Policy Adviser to the Shadow Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland MP, Federal Member for Greenway.

In the decade from 2006 to 2016, Sophie worked at the government regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), and served as a member of the Advertising Standards Board, part of the independent system of advertising self-regulation in Australia. At the ACMA Sophie worked in roles across stakeholder management, spectrum reform, the digital dividend program and contributed to a range of broadcasting investigations and regulatory reviews. Sophie has also worked as a Research Fellow at the Centre for Media and Communications Law, an Associate at the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia and as a casual university academic in media and communications law. She has a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne and an Arts/Law degree in media studies from the Queensland University of Technology.

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Michael Coonan is a media and communications policy and regulatory leader with experience in both government and industry roles.

Michael joined SBS as Head of Regulatory Affairs in August 2017, after nearly five years at Foxtel. In these roles, Michael has worked on a broad range of policy and regulatory issues, including local content regulation, broadcasting privacy, closed captioning, classification, codes of practice, copyright, set top box energy efficiency, spectrum and technical regulations. Prior to Foxtel Michael spent eight years at the Australian Communications and Media Authority, in both broadcasting and telecommunications regulatory areas.

Other areas of interest include:
• Public policy more generally—designing frameworks that help society function effectively
• Writing—distilling complex ideas into simple explanations that inform and persuade
• Visual design—conveying information in an engaging way and displaying things of beauty

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Debra Richards is Director, Production Policy, APAC for Netflix.

Prior to joining Netflix Debra was the CEO of Ausfilm.  She has over 25 years communications & media industry experience including as the CEO of the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA), the industry association for subscription television. She also spent over 13 years with the broadcasting regulator then the Australian Broadcasting Authority (& Tribunal).

Debra has been involved in screen content policy and production industry issues in Australia during her working life as regulator, stakeholder or advocate. These include local content, classification of content, sports rights, copyright, digital conversion and new delivery platforms. Debra is also an Adjunct Professor for Boston University (Film and Media in Australia) and a marriage celebrant.

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Joanne Ryan is the Managing Director of Infodec Communications. She has extensive experience working in the media industry in Australia.

Prior to starting her own communications company in 2009, she worked for several years as a Corporate Development Advisor with NewsCorp Australia. Joanne also represented the organisation to Government and was a member of a number of industry committees including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Intellectual Property consultative group.

Infodec Communications was established in 2009.  The company has continued to expand supporting a wide variety of clients including government agencies, SMEs, industry groups and individuals with strategic communications and public relations services.

Formal qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts (Communications) and Master of International Studies from the University of Sydney.

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Chris Chapman was appointed President of the International Institute of Communications on 1 April 2016.

Mr Chapman previously held the position of Chairman and CEO of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).  He was appointed in February 2006 and was re-appointed for a 2nd five year term in October 2010 until April 2016. He was appointed an Associate Member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission in September 2007.

Mr Chapman is a seasoned executive with experience in the media, broadcasting and film, internet, telecommunications, sports rights and infrastructure development worlds.

Before joining ACMA, Mr Chapman held a number of senior management positions with the Seven Network, Stadium Australia Management, Optus and Babcock & Brown.  He has also been the Chairman of Film Australia and Sports Vision Australia, and a previous member of the National Film and Sound Archives’ Advisory Council.

Mr Chapman has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales and has completed the Harvard Business School AMP program.

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